La Poste France La Dune du Pilat

LA POSTE FRANCE in 2005 issued a First Day Cover stamps of La Pont du Pilat, which is the tallest sand dune in Europe, located about 60 km southwest of Bordeaux.

La Poste France Cover

LA POSTE FRANCE cover

Moldova Post Christmas Cover

MOLDOVA POST issued these Christmas stamps in 2016 and Easter stamps in 2021. I received this cover from a fellow stamp collector in 2024.

Gross Deutsches Reich "Reichsarbeitsdienst" (RAD) - 1944

GROSSDEUTSCHES REICH in June 1944  issued a series of surtax stamps featuring the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD), or Reich Labour Service. These Labor Corps youth stamps were designed by German artist René Ahrlé (1893-1976). Engravers were Leon Schnell and J. Piwczyk. Leon Schnell (1888-1961) was a German etcher and engraver who produced stamps for Germany in the 1940s and 1950s.

The RAD was a compulsory labour service organisation in Nazi Germany, where young men and women were required to work for a period of six months to a year before entering the military or the workforce.

The stamps in this series likely featured images promoting the RAD and its role in Nazi society. Common themes in RAD propaganda included:

1. Young men and women engaged in physical labour, such as agricultural work, construction, or land development projects.
2. RAD members wearing uniforms and displaying a strong sense of discipline and unity.
3. Symbols of the RAD, such as the organisation’s emblem (a spade and a wheat sheaf crossed) or the Nazi swastika.

The purpose of these stamps was to promote the RAD as a vital part of the Nazi state and to encourage participation in the labour service. The RAD was seen as a way to instill Nazi ideals, such as a strong work ethic, discipline, and loyalty to the state, in German youth.

However, it is important to note that by 1944, the RAD’s role had shifted significantly due to the demands of the war. Many RAD members were assigned to work in factories, assist with rebuilding projects in bombed cities, or even serve in auxiliary military roles. As such, the 1944 RAD stamps might have also featured imagery related to these wartime tasks.

These stamps serve as a historical record of the Nazi regime’s propaganda efforts and the role of the RAD in German society during World War II. They provide insight into how the Nazis sought to mobilize and indoctrinate the population, even as the war turned against Germany in its final years.

Shown here is a scenic postcard of "Early Spring near Lenggries (Bavaria)". It was affixed with two of the RAD stamps, postmarked 14 August 1944,  Bannewitz, Dresden. The recipient of this card was one Max Börnerl living on Adolf Hitler Strasse (not an uncommon street name given this period in history), in Bannewitz.

Postes Royaume Du Laos "Arts & Decorations"

POSTES ROYAUME DU LAOS on 21 February 1967 issued four First Day Cover stamps under the heading "Arts & Decorations". A limited edition of 1,500 FDCs were released by PTT philatelic service. Government Printing Works of Paris printed the stamps.

Stamp descriptions:

- 5 K - Dancing Shiva with trident, conqueror of the dragon (naga).

Siprapouthbat Pagoda.

- 20 K - Buddha on lotus throne in princely jewelery. Visoun Pagoda.

- 50 K - Fire god Ani (god of purification) sitting on the Garuda (mythical bird. Xiengthong Pagoda.

- 70 K - Dancing Apsara (celestial nymph). Visoun Pagoda.

Belgian Congo Airmail and Definitive Stamps -1922

BELGIAN CONGO (Postluchtdienst) in 1921 issued airmail  (Service Postal Aerien) stamps depicting landmarks, nature and lifestyle in the Belgian colony. The stamps featured either a mono-winged plane or aircraft propeller. The air mail service operated between Kinshasa and Stanleyville, which began on 1 April 1920. This particular cover was registered,  postmarked 27 May 1922 in Kinshasa, and sent by airmail with the final destination being to Brussels, Belgium. It has both airmail and regular postage stamps affixed to the envelope. 

Stamps shown on this cover:

- 25 (overprint 50) C - "Inkissi Falls"

- 40 C - "Congo canoe"

- 50 C - "Wharf on Congo River"

- 1 F - "Country store"

-  2 F - "View of the Congo River" 

- 5 F - "Fortress"

The Congo has a history of chaos and oppression from its colonial period until today.  Among the reasons for this include Belgium's sudden departure in 1960 without properly preparing the country for self-government, despite their claims to the contrary. Congo needed a middle class and educated bureaucratic officials and so on, but the Belgians had not bothered with that. An early democratic leader was Patrice Lumumba, but he was accused of being a communist sympathiser, and even though this was not true, he ended up being assassinated with CIA and M16 support for his murder.  Since then bad leadership of the strong-man variety has prevailed. If the Congo's economy had been organised and infrastructure built, its vast resources might make it the richest country in Africa. Unfortunately it wallows in corruption and semi-poverty lingers till this day.

Although the sordid history of colonial oppression and its aftermath loomed large for the Belgian Congo, stamp collectors have been left ironically with a lovely philatelic legacy.

Postes Algerie "Danse des Mouchoirs" by Théodore Chassériau

POSTES ALGERIE on 30 November 1957 issued a First Day Cover stamp based on the painting "Danse des Mouchoirs" by Théodore Chassériau (1819-1856). It was released in conjunction with his death centenary. This dark cyan blue stamp was designed and engraved by Jules Piel, using a Recess printing method. It had a face value of 35+10  F (Algerian franc). Postmark cancellation originated from Oran, Algeria.

Théodore Chassériau was a  Dominican born French  Romantic painter  noted for his  portraits, historical and religious paintings, allegorical murals, and  Orientalist  images inspired by his travels to  Algeria. Early in his career he painted in a  Neoclassical  style close to that of his teacher  Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres , but in his later works he was strongly influenced by the Romantic style of  Eugène Delacroix.

He was a prolific draftsman, and made a suite of prints to illustrate  Shakespeare's  Othello. The portrait he painted at the age of 15 of  Prosper Marilhat  made Chassériau the youngest painter exhibited at the Louvre  museum.

Source: Wikipedia

New Hebrides Christmas 1973

NEW HEBRIDES CONDOMINIUM (Joint British and French territory) on 19 November 1973 issued two First Day Cover stamps for Christmas. Postmark for both stamps originated from Port Vila, New Hebrides (now Republic of Vanuatu). The stamps were derived from paintings by  Robert Tatin  of Avesnières (starshine) and  Marcel Moutouh (mother and child).

Robert Tatin  d'Avesnières  (1925 - 1982) derives his last name ( Avesnieres) from the town of his birth, to differentiate him from his father Robert Tatin. Trained in decorative painting in his father's business, he felt attracted by other horizons at a very young age and, after spending a few months in Algeria, left for Tahiti in 1950. While working as a sign painter, he made his first paintings there. He spent more than 25 years in the Pacific, where he created most of his work from Polynesia to the New Hebrides, then spending five years in New Caledonia. After a stint in Indonesia and Bali, he returned to France from 1977 to 1982. An exhibition of his paintings brought him back to Papeete in 1982 where he spent his last days. His original painting, like no other, tackled subjects as diverse as humble still lifes, peaceful lagoons, industrial sites or grand market scenes. 

Marcel Moutouh was an artist and sculptor born in September 13, 1930, in Nam Dinh, to a Vietnamese mother and a French father. His artwork includes scenes with figures, local scenes, and murals. Moutouh was a self-taught artist, who was raised in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War he took refuge in Cambodia and then Laos. From 1950 to 1953 he was assigned to the social service of the French army in Indochina

Republique Francaise Poste Paul Gaugain

 

REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE POSTE on 23 September 1968 issued a  First Day Cover stamp commemorating the art of Paul Gaugain, featuring his work entitled "Joyfulness", which was painted in 1892. This multicoloured stamp had a face value of 1F (French franc). Claude Robert Ernest Durrens was the designer. A Recess printing method was used to print 8,567,000 stamps. A special postmark of a line-drawn image of Gaugain was designed for this stamp and originated from Paris. Shown here is a maxi card (postal stationery) depicting the same stamp image.

South West Africa Post Shipwrecks of Skeleton Coast

SOUTHWEST AFRICA (NAMIBIA) POST on 15 October 1987 issued a set of four First Day Cover stamps commemorating famous shipwrecks found along the Skeleton Coast - 500 miles (800 km) of raging surf on hot desert approximately 400 miles (640 km) north of Walvis Bay.

This issue was dedicated to ships that have been wrecked in these waters. The British brig Hope (16c) sank in 1804. The sailing ship Tilly (30c) was delivering cargo and goods, mail and items destined for missionary stations. The ship was wrecked on 1 February 1895 near Luderitz. The German transport steamer Eduard Bohlen (40c) was on a voyage from Swakopmund to Table Bay in September 1909 with equipment for diamond deposits. On 5 September 1909, it ran aground on the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. The British refrigerator ship Dunedin Star (50c) sailed from Liverpool to Cape Town in early November 1942. At 10:30 on 29 November 1942, it suffered an underwater hole. Due to the risk of sinking, the ship was washed up on the Skeleton Coast.

Stamps included on maxi cards:

- 16c Hope (Dutch Whaling Scooner), 1804

- 30c Tilly (brig), 1885

- 40c Eduard Bohlen (Steamer), 1909

- 50c Dunedin Star, 1942 (Liner) 

Postes Togo Definitives 1947

POSTES TOGO on 10 June 1947 issued a series of definitive stamps. They were designed by Raoul Serres and Claude Hertenberger and printed by Institut de Gravure et d'Impression de Papiers-Valeurs, Paris.

Republique Du Niger Poste International Women's Year 1975

REPUBLIQUE DU NIGER POSTE in 1975 issued a First Day Cover stamp honouring International Women's Year. The stamp and maxi card depicted a mother with her child.

Republique De Cote D'Ivoire POSTE Cotton Harvesting

REPUBLIQUE DE COTE D'IVOIRE POSTE on 21 September 1974 issued a First Day Cover stamp depicting the harvest of cotton. This multicoloured and gummed stamp was designed by Pierrette Lambert, and printed by Imprimerie des Timbres-Poste-France, using a Photogravure method. The post card depicts a mother with her child from West Africa.

La Poste France "Journée de la Femme" 2009

LA POSTE FRANCE on 9 March 2009 issued a set of 12 First Day Cover stamps entitled "Journée de la Femme"  (International Women's Day), which reproduced portraits of women from around the world by French navigator and artist Titoun Lamazou. The stamps featured  two phosphorescent bars and were printed using a gravure method. These stamps appeared on individual and grouped maxi cards.

Maxi Card #1-

 - Deborah, France 

- Blessing, Nigériane à Nouadhibou

- Kabari, Bangladesh 

- Nandita, India

Maxi Card #2

- Helena, United States

- Dayan, Columbia

- Daya, Indonesia 

- Francine, Rwanda

Maxi Card #3

- Mei Mei, Sal bytimbanque à Beijing

- Elmas, Réalisatrice à Istanbul 

- Malika, Morocco 

- Nadia, Indienne Camaiura (Brazil)

International Women's Day (IWD) is a holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement. IWD gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. Spurred by the universal female suffrage movement, IWD originated from labor movements in North America and Europe during the early 20th century.

Source: Wikipedia 

Postes Republique Francaise Henri Matisse Blue Nude

POSTES REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE on 10 November 1961 issued a First Day Cover stamp of the Henri Matisse  painting "Blue Nudes". Postmark cancellation originated from Paris, France.

The Blue Nudes is a series of collages, and related colour lithographs, by Henri Matisse, made from paper cut-outs depicting nude figures in various positions. Restricted by his physical condition after his surgery for stomach cancer, Matisse began creating art by cutting and painting sheets of paper by hand; these Matisse viewed as independent artworks in their own right. The Blue Nudes refers also to the editioned multiples based on the cut-outs. Matisse supervised the creation of these lithographs until his death in 1954.

The color blue signified distance and volume to Matisse. Frustrated in his attempts to successfully marry dominant and contrasting tones, the artist was moved to use solid slabs of single color early in his career, a technique that became known as Fauvism. The painted gouache cut-outs that compose the Blue Nudes were inspired by Matisse's collection of African sculpture and his visit to Tahiti, in 1930. 

Source: Wikipedia 

Rheinland-Pfalz Teufelstisch Definitive 1947

RHEINLAND - PFALZ (Rhineland-Palatinate) in post-WWII French zone state, was established on 30 August 1946. It was formed from the Northern part of the French Occupation Zone, which included parts of Bavaria (the Rhenish Palatinate), the Southern parts of the Prussian Rhine Province, and parts of Hesse-Darmstadt. The new state was confirmed by referendum on May 18, 1947, and its capital was established at Mainz.

The new state of Rheinland-Pfalz issued their first definitive postage stamps between May 1947 and February 1948. The stamps were photogravure and printed on unwatermarked papers of varying quality.

The new definitive set featured twelve designs. Among these being the Teufelstisch stamp which is affixed to this maxim card of the same. The postmark cancellation originated from Hinterweidenthal and is dated with special franking 11 May 1947.

Teufelstisch ( The Devil's Table ) in Hinterweidenthal is a 14 meter high mushroom rock in the German part of the Wasgau region, the southern Palatine Forest in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate). It is one of the landscape symbols of the Palatinate and is also the subject of a local legend.

The Rehberg Formation commonly forms table rock formations such as the Devil's Table. The siliceous harder rock zones lie on top of the softer thin layers, that are more susceptible to weathering and erosion. The tabletop-like blocks protect the remaining pillars of less resistant material from further erosion. The shape of the Devil's Table and its thin pillars is defined by preexisting fractures at the upper and lower end of the tabletop. The natural monument of the Devil's Table represents an important landmark of the Palatinate Forest and was classified as a "National Geotope“ in 2006.

In 2014, Deutsche Post issued a color photo stamp of the Teufelstisch. It was one in series of stamps promoting  Wildes Deutschland (The Wilds of Germany).

USPS Cover: Baseball, Christmas and Ecology

 

USPS cover stamps  presented with mixed themes: baseball, Christmas, baseball and Ecology stamps. The block set of Madonna & Child by Bondone and Vintage Kids Care Environment for Earth Day were initially released in 1995. Take Me Out to the Ball Game was issued in 2008.

LVZ POST (Germany) the 500 Year Anniversary of the Leipzig Disputation

LVZ POST (Germany) on 27 June 2019 issued a First Day Cover commemorating the 500 Year Anniversary of the Leipzig Disputation between Johannes Eck vs. Martin Luther. The stamp and maxim card depicted the famous event. A special cancellation postmark was also created showing these two theologians.

The 500th anniversary of the Leipzig Disputation between Martin Luther (advocated Protestant Reformation)  and Johannes Eck (represented the Catholic Church) was celebrated in 2019. The debate took place in 1519 at Pleissenburg Castle in Leipzig, Germany, and was a key moment in the Reformation.  

The debate covered a range of topics, including papal authority, the infallibility of church councils, the sale of indulgences, and the existence of purgatory. 

The debate began as a friendly argument between friends, but quickly descended into chaos. The debate was also marked by months of pre-debate theses and counter theses.

The debate opened in the presence of George the Bearded, the Duke of Saxony who was critical of Martin Luther. Luther entered the debate on July 4, 1519.Although the debate judges from the University of Paris took two years to decide and the judges from the University of Erfurt never reached a decision, the debate was won by Johann Eck. 

The debate led to Pope Leo X censoring Luther and threatening him with excommunication in his June 1520 papal bull, Exsurge Domine. The bull banned Luther's views from being written or preached. 

The debate is considered a key moment in Reformation history because it was the first time Luther publicly acknowledged that popes and church councils had made errors. 

Source: Wikipedia 

Deutsche Post Leipziger Messe Herbstmesse 1948

DEUTSCHE POST on 29 August 1948 issued two First Day Cover stamps for the Leipziger Messe Herbstmesse (Autumn Fair). These stamps were affixed to postal stationery showing the same enactments of (1) Merchants and Customs Barriers in 1388 (face value of 50pf- deep blue colour); and (2) Construction of Merchandise Warehouse in 1433 (Face value of 84pf - green in colour). The stamps were issued during the Soviet occupation of East Germany.

Deutsche Post Frühjahrsmesse and Herbstmesse in Leipziger Messe 1947

DEUTSCHE POST (DDR) on 5 March 1947 issued two First Day Cover stamps  for the Frühjahrsmesse (Spring Fair) Leipziger Messe. These stamps were affixed to postal stationery showing the same enactments of (1) Leipzig receiving market rights in 1160 from Margrave Otto of Meissen (with a face value of 24+26); and (2) Protection of foreign merchants through a decree from Margrave Dietrich von Landsberg in 1268 (with a face value of 60+40). Postmarks "MM" originated from Leipzig, although two additional special frankings were available on other FDCs.

DEUTSCHE POST (DDR) on 2 September 1947 issued two First Day Cover stamps  for the Herbstmesse (Autumn Fair) Leipziger Messe. These stamps were affixed to postal stationery: (1) Leipzig Assessment and collection of rent in 1375 (with a face value of 75 pfennig); and (2) Trade Fair Privilege of Maximilian I on 1497 (with a face value of 12 pfennig).

 

Nationally-owned companies exhibited for the first time at the Leipziger Messe in 1947. Universal fairs were held in spring and autumn from 1947 to 1990. This stamp series was designed by German graphic designer Erich Gruner and focused on the history of the Leipziger Messe.He designed seven issues with 14 special stamps issued between 1947 till 1950. He also designed the Leipziger Messe "MM" logo.

The Leipzig Trade Fair dates back to the Middle Ages, and is still celebrated today. It has traditionally been celebrated twice a year, with the respective fairs being referred to as the Frühjahrsmesse (Spring Fair) and Herbstmesse (Autumn Fair), though different names have been used over the years.

Prior to 1945, Germany issued a couple sets of stamps commemorating the 1940 and 1941 Spring Fairs under "Deutsches Reich".The Allied Control Commission released three sets (1947 Spring & Autumn Fairs, 1948 Spring Fair, under "Briefmarken-Ausgaben des Alliierten Kontrollrats". 

The Soviet Zone then released three commemorative sets (1948 Autumn Fair, 1949 Spring and Autumn Fairs), also designed by Gruner, under "Briefmarken-Ausgaben der sowjetischen Besatzungszone".

Finally, once the DDR began issuing stamps, they continued the tradition, producing commemorative stamps every year from 1950-1990. 

After Reunification, the BRD issued a 500-year commemorative in 1997, under "Briefmarken-Jahrgang 1997 der Bundesrepublik Deutschland". Leipziger Messe.   

Deutsche Post J.S. Bach Postal Stationery & Definitive Stamps 1947

DEUTSCHE POST (DDR) postal stationery issued in 1947  shows Johann Sebastian Bach conducting a choir in Leipzig (Leipziger) in front of Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) where he worked as a cantor from 21 March 1685 – 28 July 1750. 

Affixed to the reverse side of the postcard are Deutsche Post definitive stamps of workers and peasants, postmarked 7 March 1947 from the Control District Leipzig, Soviet Zone.

Pochta USSR Russian folk tales.

POCHTA USSR (USSR Post) in 16 March 1977 issued a set of six First Day Cover stamps commemorating Russian folk tales.

- 4 K. "Welcome (Bread & Salt)" by N. M. Sloninkin, 1970.

- 6 K. "Along the Street" by V. D. Antonov, 1972.

- 10 K. "Northern Song" by J. V. Karapaev, 1970.

- 12 K. "Tale about Tzar Saltan" by A. I. Kozlov, 1956.

- 14 K. "Summer Troika" V. A. Nalimov, 1974.

- 16 K. "The Scarlet Flower" V. D. Lipitsky, 1969.